Stylus

The Incipio Premium KICKSTAND Case with Stylus for the iPad packs a lot of features into one solid package. Not only is it a folio with a secure flap, but as the name implies it comes packing a kickstand for excellent -- and multiple -- viewing angles, and even a stylus pen for note-taking, drawing, and gaming.

The LynkTec TruGlide Stylus takes a different approach to any other stylus pen we've looked at. Instead of having a silicone tip like the Pogo Sketch Plus, Kuel H12, or Wacom Bamboo, or a plastic disc like the Jot Pro, the TruGlide has a tip made of strong, woven, capacitive fibers. LynkTec claims these fibers are more durable and last longer than either the silicone tips or plastic discs of their competitors, and also provide a smoother, more friction-free experience on the iPhone or iPad. Does it work out that way?

The Adonit Jot Pro really stood out in our recent pro stylus pen shootout. Adonit made a brave, bold choice by not going with the common fat-style silicone tip. Instead they went with a thin metal tip more like that of a mechanical pencil or fine pointed pen, and mounted it with a see-through, capacitive disk.

Apple might have said "yuk!" to stylus pens but users are saying "yes!" in ever greater number. Apple might have had a point, back in the days before iPhones and iPads, when pointy old resistive stylus pens had to be used just to get outdated touch screens and inscrutable interfaces to work. But now there's a new generation of stylus pens for the new generation of capacitive touch screens. These stylus pens don't have to be used -- we want to use them. We want to use them for speed and accuracy, for comfort and creativity. We want to use them for take hand-written notes, to draw and paint, and to game. We want to use them to such an extent that, for many users, it's no longer a question of whether we should use a stylus pen -- but which one?

To answer that questions, iMore took a look at four of the most popular, high end stylus pens on the market -- The Ten One Design Pogo Sketch Pro, the SGP Kuel H12, the Adonit Jot Pro, and the Wacom Bamboo. We took a look at the build quality, durability, and capacitive performance of each one, and we tested them using Noteshelf and Penultimate, Procreate and Paper by 53, and Zuma's Revenge and Words with Friends.

Ten One Design Pogo Sketch Pro, part of the Pogo Sketch line up of stylus pens, is one of the best we've had the pleasure use with the iPad. It's not as cheap or as specific as some of the competition, however, so does the quality make up for it?

The Adonit Jot Pro is not your regular iPad or iPhone stylus. Instead of a round, mushy finger-sized capacitive tip, it has a very thin, very hard tip like a mechanical pencil, with a large, round, transparent capacitive disk on the end. It's odd looking and odd feeling at first, especially compared to other pro-level capacitive styli on the market. But does it hold up?

The Wacom Bamboo is a popular pen stylus for iPad and iPhone. It's a longtime favorite of several of iMore's editorsandcontributors, and comes from one of the most trusted names in digital pen technology. However, the Wacom Bamboo is facing intense competition from several other pro-level capacitive stylus companies. How does it stack up?

Steve Jobs put an end to the Newton project, in part because he hated the concept of using a stylus. The original Palm Pilot was a runaway hit -- in part because of the use of the stylus and its handwriting recognition. Now, Palm is dead and Apple is ginormous and Samsung is trying to bring the stylus back with the Galaxy Note line... So, who was right?

Just as the iPad is reaching the stratosphere in usage, the stylus is making a comeback.

We ran a quick poll and the initial results were intriguing enough we wanted to get a better sense of just what was going on across all platforms and all of our mobile communities. So here's a short survey. Does the stylus inhibit or amplify your touch screen experience? Let us know!